I wasn't going to post this but the way she looked at me still haunts me

So this happened about 4 years ago and I genuinely cannot stop thinking about it.

It's November 2005, one week before I ship out for mandatory military service. I'm basically living my last days of freedom, going out with friends every night and just getting WASTED. Like, every single night.

So it's the 12th. I'm coming home from drinking with friends around 3am. My place is this old 90s villa, three stories, and mine is on the third floor. I'm walking in and check the time. 3am exactly. Dark as hell so I'm gonna turn on the lights on the first floor when I look up and see the third floor lights are already on.

Here's the thing though. The hallway lights have motion sensors. They go on when someone passes and turn off after like 1-2 minutes. So if the third floor is lit right now, that means someone walked up there literally just a minute ago. Maybe less.

I head upstairs and I'm NOT ready. Standing right there on the third floor is this girl. My age. Complete stranger. I've NEVER seen her before. Obviously I'm freaking out inside but I play it cool, walk past her into my apartment like nothing happened.

Can't sleep after that. So I'm just sitting there gaming for a bit. Around 4am I hear footsteps coming down from the third floor. That's it.

Fast forward a few days. I've basically forgotten about it. But then it's three days before my enlistment and guess what. I'm coming home from drinking AGAIN, around 3am, and suddenly it all comes back. That girl. Three days ago. I'm walking in kinda on edge this time but thankfully nobody's there.

I'm chilling, gaming again, maybe 30 minutes pass and then... footsteps. Coming from the first floor. Tap tap tap. Climbing up. All the way to the third floor. Then they just... stop.

Obviously someone's at someone's door or whatever but it's dead quiet. So I'm being nosy (naturally) and I creep over to the peephole and look out.

It's her. The girl from four days ago. She's standing there staring at my neighbor's door. Turning the lights on and off. On. Off. On again. Just watching that door while she does this. Over and over.

Now I'm thinking. Why would a girl her age be standing outside an elderly couple's apartment at 3am turning lights on and off? My neighbors are old. Really old. Both of them. They've lived there for over 10 years and we're friendly. Their three daughters are all married and moved out. So like... what is she doing.

I'm watching for like 30 minutes. Creepy. Weird as hell. Around 4am she finally leaves.

This happened TWICE now so obviously I tell my friends about it the next day. They're all like "she's insane," "maybe she likes you and heard you're enlisting," whatever. But one friend goes, "bro if she shows up again just follow her and see where she goes."

I go home that night (two days before enlistment) and I'm not sleeping obviously. I'm just gaming, browsing internet, killing time until like 3am when I hear it again. Footsteps. My heart is literally pounding.

I look through the peephole. She's there. Same thing. Light on. Staring. Light off. Light back on. Repeating this whole ritual.

I'm thinking about what my friend said. Maybe I should actually follow her. I'm scared but also... I'm curious, you know? There's something weirdly thrilling about it. So I'm like okay, I'm doing this. I put my shoes on quietly and I keep watching through the peephole and I'm about to go out and then...

I just... sit down. Right there. On the floor. I can't do it.

The light goes out. A few seconds pass. The light comes back on and then she turns around. And she's looking. Directly at my door. Directly at me.

And she's smiling.

I FROZE. I just sat there completely paralyzed.

After that I shipped out and honestly just tried to forget about the whole thing. But then I came back after my two years of service and I'd remember it sometimes late at night when I'd get home.

Here's the thing that really gets me. That apartment next door? It's been empty this whole time. Completely empty. The old couple just... disappeared. I don't know where they went. While I was in the military, their place became a vacant unit. And I've never seen that girl again. Not once in four years.

So what the hell was she.

I'm writing this in broad daylight and I'm STILL getting chills.